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WASHINGTON - Residents of at least 17 states are suddenly stuck in the middle of a fight between the Bush administration and state governments over post-Sept. 11 security rules for driver's licenses - a dispute that, by May, could leave millions of people unable to use their licenses to board planes or enter federal buildings.

BAGHDAD, Iraq - One of the largest bombing campaigns of the war destroyed extremists' ''defensive belts'' south of Baghdad, allowing American soldiers to push into areas where they have not been in years, a top commander said Friday.

(Note: All information included in this report is taken from law enforcement incident reports and arrest records, which are public records and available for review at any and all local law enforcement agencies. Not every arrest leads to a conviction. Guilt or innocence is determined by the court system.)

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Bank of America said Friday it will buy Countrywide Financial for $4.1 billion in stock, a deal that rescues the country's biggest mortgage lender and expands the financial services empire of the nation's largest consumer bank.

NEW YORK - Founded in the mid-19th century, the Young Men's Christian Association has expanded far beyond its name in the United States. It welcomes all faiths, half the 20.2 million people it serves are female, and more than half are adults.

Fortunate circumstances are being ushered in that can make many of your personal goals a reality in the year ahead. Some major changes in your lifestyle will be in the offing as a result, but even if you can't see this right now, start planning for it anyway.

BALTIMORE - The revelation that the Army threw out the conviction of the only officer court-martialed in the Abu Ghraib scandal renewed outrage from human rights advocates who complained that not enough military and civilian leaders were held accountable for the abuse of Iraqi prisoners.

SAN FRANCISCO - Personal property seized from the victims of a tiger attack at the San Francisco Zoo may contain evidence that they taunted the animal, provoking it to escape its pen, the city attorney's office argued in court documents.

DEAR DR. GOTT: olf season will begin again in Indiana in a few short months. We only have two smokers in our group of 20, but every day when we choose up teams, it seems like one of the smokers shares a cart with me.

Teepa Snow, a dementia-care education specialist and the founder of Positive Approach to Care techniques and training models, will be the keynote speaker Thursday at the Understanding Dementia and Alzheimer's Conference at Georgia Southern University.

There was a time when the edge to Juan Pablo Montoya was evident everywhere he went. His arrogance was on display as he walked through the paddock, his confidence in a race car clear with every fearless move he made.

CHICAGO - An apple a day doesn't necessarily keep the doctor away. That's according to proverb-busting research that found daily apple eaters had just as many doctor visits as those who ate fewer or no apples.

FORT MEADE, Md. - Two men dressed as women smashed a stolen car into a police vehicle after they disobeyed commands at the closely guarded gates of the National Security Agency on Monday, prompting police to open fire.

Q: Our 7-year-old is very shy. He doesn't enjoy the sort of social activities, including sports, that other kids his age are generally involved in and would rather play alone. He has one friend, who is also quite shy. His mother and I have conspired to arrange weekly play dates, but whereas the boys get along fine, both kids sometimes balk at cooperating with them. My son occasionally tells me he'd rather read or play alone than play with this other boy. When I ask why, he tells me he "just would." His school counselor has recommended that ...

Robert Lloyd, an eighth-grade student at Langston Chapel Middle School, was recently selected as one of the state's best student percussionists by the Georgia Music Educators Association (GMEA) and received the honor of first chair in one of two middle school-level all-state bands.